500
AIR TRANSPORT...
of our future plans for Liverpool includes the introduction and
development of inclusive tours from that area on a large scale.
"'Contrary to the statement made by the liquidator for
British Eagle at the recent hearings, BAS has complete freedom
to develop services out of Liverpool, subject only to the
licensing regulations. The BEA participation in BAS is entirely
helpful and in no way restrictive."
Cambrian has been operating the London-Liverpool and
Liverpool-Glasgow routes under a special temporary exemption
from the Board of Trade since the British Eagle closure. The
airline was expecting to restart a daily service (Monday to
Friday) between London and Chester last Tuesday, April 1.
Five services a day are planned between London and Liverpool,
and two a day between Liverpool and Glasgow. The airline
expects to carry 115,000 passengers on these routes this year.
Another BAS company, BKS, has been granted a London-
Luxembourg route licence by the ATLB. This is also a route
formerly operated by British Eagle.
In its decision the Air Transport Licensing Board expressed
doubts as to whether the financial resources available to the
reconstructed Eagle (Liverpool) would be enough to tide it
over anything but a short initial period of loss. Unless the
cost and revenue forecasts were met, or very nearly met, said
the ATLB, the future of an important group of scheduled
routes could once more be at risk. This risk should only be
taken if there were overwhelming compensatory advantages,
and the risk would not exist to anything like the same degree
if the routes were redistributed among established operators.
The ATLB also expressed some doubt on the validity of
traffic forecasts made by the Edwards Consortium for some
routes, and said that Cambrian had challenged these convincingly.
Now that the prospect of the reappearance of Eagle (Liver
pool) with One-Elevens has receded, there is a strong feeling
in Liverpool City Council that Cambrian must be pressed^to
introduce jet equipment as a matter of considerable urgency.
With the airport running at a deficit there is anxiety over the
development of the area's air services, and Cambrian's per
formance will be watched closely.
The first Rolls-Royce RB.2I I metal mock-up cowling assembly has
now been sent, two months ahead of schedule, to Lockheed at
Burbank. It will be used, with that of the engine already at
Lockheed, in the design work on the engine installation features of
the L-I0II TriStar and for servicing familiarisation, ground hand
ling procedures and customer discussions. The mock-up was built
by Short Bros & Harland and was delivered first to Derby, where
it is seen here, to be checked against the mock-up engine before
dispatch
FLIGHT International, 3 April 1969
AND BUA GETS TUNIS
ONE of the scheduled routes formerly operated by British
Eagle. London-Tunis, has been awarded by the Air Transport
Licensing Board to British United Airways. The licence was the
subject of a number of applications from airlines, including
both BEA and BOAC. The ATLB stated in its decision that of
the applicants it favoured BEA and BUA, and eventually
decided in favour of the latter.
The board also said that it had subjected the licence-to a
frequency limitation, "in accordance with our normal practice."
but that this limitation (seven round trips a week) was not such
as to impede the development of the route. BUA has stated
that it plans to operate one service a week initially, on
Saturdays, beginning on July 5.
Fiji Orders Third HS.748 A third HS.748 has been ordered by
Fiji Airways for delivery in November this year.
KIM Buys More DC-9s In addition to the order for three
more Boeing 747Bs recorded below, KLM has also ordered two
more of the DC-9-30RC (rapid change) version for delivery in
February and March next year. The airline will then have 16
in service, seven of which will be the RC version.
Another One-Eleven for Caledonian An order for a fourth
BAC One-Eleven 500 has been placed by Caledonian Airways.
The airline's first two One-Elevens are being delivered this
month; the third is due for delivery in April and the fourth
in March next year. The aircraft will be used, in a 109-seat
configuration, for the airline's inclusive-tour programme.
Another VFW-614 Option An option on three VFW-614
short-haul transports has been taken, according to Interavia,
by Bavaria Fluggesellschaft, the German charter carrier which
also operates short-haul schedules under contract to Luft
hansa. Options had previously been taken by Sterling Airways
of Denmark (five) and Filipinas Orient Airways (two).
Ditched DC-8-452 Flies Again On March 26—little more than
four months after it crashed without casualties into San
Francisco Bay during an instrument approach on November 22
last year—Japan Air Lines' DC-8-62 made a successful test
flight. The overhaul work, which included the rebuilding of
the powerplants and the replacement of all electrical wiring,
was completed by United Air Lines at San Francisco.
Improved Soviet Simulators The latest flight simulator to go
into service with Aeroflot is for the Yak-40. Visual presenta
tion, extending 60° on each side, full instrumentation and the
physical sensations of taxying, take-off and at critical angles
of attack are provided in this simulator, which is said to be
a great improvement on earlier equipment. There are also
facilities for the simulation of radar returns in route flying,
as well as a vjsual presentation of frontal clouds.
More 747s Ordered Northwest has increased its order for
Boeing 747s from ten to 15, and Continental has ordered
another, making four in all. They will be delivered in 1971.
KLM has also ordered three more, increasing the fleet to six:—
all of them the "B" model. The first three are due to be
delivered in the first half of 1971 and the second three in
September and October 1971. Announced 747 sales totalled
178 to 28 carriers as we went to press with this issue.
KLM Plans High-capacity Trijet Order KLM envisages
the need for three or four high-capacity trijets to be delivered
late in 1971 or early in 1972. Whether DC-lOs or L-lOlls
will be ordered depends on negotiations within the KSS
(KLM/SAS/Swissair) co-operative group. If L-lOlls are ordered
by the group it could mean powerplant orders worth some £30
million for Rolls-Royce. According to Aviation Daily KLM
has rejected the A-300B European Airbus. The trijets will take
over part of the work of the present DC-8 fleet and may be
used also on the heavier traffic European routes such as
Amsterdam--London.